Mohammad Reza Asgari Moroodi, speaking in an interview with the website of Strategic Council on Foreign Relations stated: Although the prime minister of India attended the meeting of the leaders of seven industrialized countries, New Delhi’s main strategy with regard to Russia and the war in Ukraine is not to support international sanctions against Moscow. It is on this basis that three days after Modi’s participation in the G7 meeting, Vladimir Putin had a telephone conversation with him and in which he discussed the strategic partnership between Russia and India.
As for the details of the telephone conversation, Asgari said: In this telephone conversation, the leaders of Russia and India emphasized implementation of the agreements reached during Putin’s visit to New Delhi in December 2021.
According to the expert, the deepening of relations between Russia and India in different dimensions is very important from the point of view of the leaders of the two countries, because Russia is the largest supplier of grain and energy to India, and on the other hand, India is a very wide market for various sectors of Russia, including in the fields of medicine, nanotechnology and high tech industries.
Referring to the presence of Russia and India as the two effective members of the BRICS countries has made New Delhi and Moscow think more than before about expanding strategic relations and refrain from conflicting mutual interests, Asgari emphasized: It is for this reason that the Indians, despite the pressure from the US and Europe, did not join the international sanctions against Russia after the attack on Ukraine.
He added: This is due to the fact that after the war in Ukraine, prices in the world market have increased sharply, and the cost of fuel, including gasoline and gas oil, has also increased unprecedentedly in many countries, including India.
The expert on subcontinent affairs believes that the Modi government is concerned about the severe economic challenges arising from this war for India’s national security and interests.
Referring to this attitude, Asgari in continuation further explained the recent call and said: Therefore, in a telephone conversation with Putin, the Indian prime minister, while exchanging views on the global food and energy market, asked the Russian president to pave the way for the export of grain and oil to India, as in the past. While the Russians need Indian goods to supply their markets in the field of medicine, nanotechnology and high tech industries, India’s non-joining to the international sanctions against Moscow is considered as a political opportunity in terms of the US failure in accompanying one of the emerging economic powers with the case of sanctions and as a factor weakening effects of the sanctions economically.
Asgari emphasized: For this reason, Putin also welcomed Modi’s proposal to deepen relations towards a strategic partnership and assured that no obstacles will be created in the way of grain and energy exports to India.
The expert on the subcontinent affairs also pointed to the factors that may have a negative impact on the strategic partnership between Russia and India and said: The strategic relations between the US and India as well as India’s deepening exchanges with Europe are the two negative parameters that will be effective in strengthening the strategic relations between New Delhi and Moscow.
He continued: There is this idea that if India does not join the international sanctions consisting of a number of countries in the world, with the centrality of Europe and the United States, the effects of such sanctions against Moscow will be weakened, considering India’s consumer market of more than 1.2 billion people and the boycotters will not get anywhere from this sanction case.
In conclusion, Asgari pointed to the internal conditions of India and the views of different parties on the relations between New Delhi and Moscow and said: Inside India, some rival political groups of the ruling BJP party led by Narendra Modi believe that India’s failure to join the sanctions against Russia may have a negative impact on trade and economic relations of the country with Europe and the United States as reliable partners of India, which will have an impact on the export-oriented economy of the country.